Prevention is the key to reduce the global burden of cancer in the world. In 2012, over 14 million people in the world were diagnosed with cancer, with nearly 8 million fatalities. Significant deaths and new cases increase are expected. However cancer can be avoided in many cases. Prevention is turning out to be the major global public health challenge.

Hygée lab is a cancer prevention centre, based in Saint-Etienne, France. Hygée develops new ways of doing cancer prevention, by including the context in the intervention’s design. To be effective, prevention actions need to target educational, social and environmental contexts. Furthermore Hygée lab develops evidence-based prevention projects related on behavioural model changes and health literacy researches.

Hygée lab promotes Living Lab approach through the development of co-designed prevention programs for different user types: patients, students, local residents, employees and public administrations. Different stakeholders participate in the joined-creation of prevention programs such as: user representatives (patients and screening associations, teachers and students, medical staff and SME ambassadors), academic researchers, some public organisations and ICT companies. This participative engagement leads Hygée lab to develop prevention programs fitting real-world context. For each project, valuable objectives are measured in the interest of each partner.

Description

Hygée is an original structure leaning on a cancer institute, an academic research team and two innovative areas:

- The Prevention Lab develops actions towards three targets, starting from child to adulthood with a focus on schools, SME employees and socially deprived public. The goal is to inform and educate visitors about cancer, risk and protective factors... We try to change people’s vision of cancer by increasing their health literacy level. A misinterpreted vision is known to be a brake in following good health behaviours.

- The patients and relatives care Lab is dedicated to cancer patients under treatment and their relatives. Patient education programs aim to develop patient empowerment in order to be able to manage cancer treatment. Several education programs taking into account the identification of the patients, relatives and caregivers needs were developed. References and Track Record The specificity of the prevention lab is digital tools development A pedagogic walkthrough exhibition has been created to promote prevention actions. Integrating information and communication technology, a 250 m2 space welcomes visitors. Films, serious games and interactive devices inform people about risk and protective factors, the disease, screenings, the research... More than developing educational programs, this interactive exhibition is also a research tool. Each ICT device is linked to a server by a radiofrequency identification device (RFID). In that way, specific media can be developed, launched in a real-world context and evaluated. The patients-relatives care Lab is in the making of a new program in which patient involvement will be strengthened by workshops experimentation conducted with experts patients recruited and trained in cooperation with the French National League Against Cancer.

References and Track Record

The specificity of the prevention lab is digital tools development A pedagogic walkthrough exhibition has been created to promote prevention actions. Integrating information and communication technology, a 250 m2 space welcomes visitors. Films, serious games and interactive devices inform people about risk and protective factors, the disease, screenings, the research... More than developing educational programs, this interactive exhibition is also a research tool. Each ICT device is linked to a server by a radiofrequency identification device (RFID). In that way, specific media can be developed, launched in a real-world context and evaluated.

The patients-relatives care Lab is in the making of a new program in which patient involvement will be strengthened by workshops experimentation conducted with experts patients recruited and trained in cooperation with the French National League Against Cancer.